Next Gen Lacked Excitement in Vegas

1. Should Hendrick Motorsports tap Bill Elliott to fill in for Chase Elliott in Atlanta?

So hopefully, diehard Bill Elliott fans have not just destroyed their computer monitors or cell phones at the thought of a longtime Ford driver driving a Chevrolet. After all, there are probably fans of Awesome Bill still mad that he drove a Dodge.

Here’s why it should be a consideration, though. For one, if you recall, Elliott never got a formal farewell event. How awesome would it be for a final hurrah at what amounts to Elliott’s home track? Plus, there’s the sentimental story of a father filling in for his injured son behind the wheel.

It’d also sell lots of last-minute tickets, something that Atlanta is likely missing out on with Chase Elliott likely being sidelined.

2. Does NASCAR have an intermediate track problem?

NASCAR’s current car in the NASCAR Cup Series has had its misses, but one of its heralded achievements most of last year was that it appeared to fix the lack of excitement in races at 1.5-mile and other intermediate tracks.

That’s why Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway felt like an alternate universe. For whatever reason, the race felt like a 1.5-mile track of a few years ago – namely the final years of Atlanta Motor Speedway’s surface before its recent reconfiguration when yes, it showcased how well one or two drivers could run if they got hooked up, but rather dull otherwise.

You saw that Sunday – the racing was low on excitement unless you are a fan of Kyle Larson and William Byron, and that’s not a good thing when one of the selling points of this new car was its intermediate track performance.

It’s a tale as old as time in racing in recent seasons – NASCAR can roll out one of the most exciting packages until its luster wears off when engineers have time to catch up, and a few teams move to the front.

Does NASCAR have an intermediate track problem? This weekend at Phoenix Raceway will give us a big clue.

3. Has Bubba Wallace taken the baton for Toyota on intermediate tracks?

After qualifying near the top 10 at Las Vegas, Bubba Wallace kept that pace on Sunday, charging late for a top-five finish. He was one of, if not the most consistent Toyota driver on Sunday, better than teammate Tyler Reddick and yes, Joe Gibbs Racing.

At this point, the No. 23 running well on these types of tracks should not be a shock. Wallace won in the fall at Kansas Speedway, was a…